Thursday, December 18, 2008

Random Thoughs


As if these posts weren't random enough:

Blago - Glad the Illinois Supreme Court denied the state attorney general's petition to summarily remove him from office.

The law cited is intended for governors incapacitated by illness or injury, not political malfeasance.  Would have set a dangerous precedence by opening the door to seek anyone's ouster for any reason.  And there's already an avenue -- true, a slower lane -- for firing the Gov.  Let the impeachment proceedings begin!

Hey, rules are rules.  It doesn't matter what people want "Right Now!".  Just a little concept known as due process.  That's why Obama has to wait 'til January 20th.  Deal with it people...
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Blago II - I've finally got it!  The guy looks just like a pompadoured illegitimate love-child of Tom Cruise and William H. Macy.  Study the linked photos and judge for yourself...

                        Macy  +  Cruise  =  Blago
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Madoff - Or as many commentators call him:  Made-off.  Let me get this straight.  I gotta feel sorry for wealthy investors who plunked down $1 million minimums -- and quite often the entire family fortune -- to buy into a super-secret formula to guarantee annual double-digit return rates?

Aren't wealthy investors supposed to be smart enough to diversify their portfolios?  Haven't they read investment primers that repeatedly stress the concept of risk vs. reward?  How even 10% is considered aggressive & risky; unsustainable?  Besides, you are (were) already millionaires!  You wanted more?!?

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.  So F. U.  And pass the bacon.
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Oil Prices - Have hit $40 / barrel, dropping more than $100 from their peak 4-1/2 short months ago.  Just in time to save the economy. Ecology can wait.  Again.
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Auto Bailout - The U.S. auto industry needs a bailout to stave off bankruptcy and save upwards of 3 million domestic jobs.  Where was the help when the home electronics industry liquidated domestic TV & stereo production 30 years ago?  Or when steel manufacturing fell to foreign competition 20 years ago?  Or appliance makers exited the country wholesale 10 years ago?

But somehow automotive is too big and entwined with the whole economy to be allowed to fail.  Hey, we're not addicted to oil!  We're addicted to car production.  It's just the cars that are addicted to oil.

At least we still have fast food and financial services.  Those are working out great for our, um, collective health.
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Global Warming - Last week Houston got hammered with winter weather.  Then New Orleans a day later.  Today it's Las Vegas' turn in the snow globe.  Now what are the odds of that?  All you Chicken Littles can keep saying the sky is falling.  Hmm, I guess it is.  It's called snow.
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Buffalo Bills - err, I mean Ralph Wilson's ultimate 401(k) plan.  A personal retirement ATM that spits oceans of cash taken from poor & dumb slobs who'd rather paint their naked chests in red and blue paint, booze like vikings, and publicly have their hearts ripped from their chests and stomped upon again and again and again.

To be liquidated upon his death (we're still talking about Wilson's pension here) with proceeds to be distributed to his heirs.  Which don't include the people of Buffalo.
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Enjoy the weekend folks!    (Oh wait, it's only Thursday...)

2 comments:

Mucous said...

Good stuff Frupp. Of course I must say that inherent in Global Warming is shifting global weather patterns which indeed means snow in the desert. Even Mother Nature is a hypocrite these days.

Chicken Little

PS Love the Blago equation- but where do you fit in?

philbony said...

Thanks Mucous. Regarding global warming: whatever blah blah blah. I won't believe in global "climate change" until it snows in Malibu! Oh sh!t.

Just remember, while I don't necessarily subscribe to the wisdom of the crowd, I also firmly believe in responsible stewardship of our environment and natural resources.

- 'bony

PS Philbony = Macy + Gregory House, MD